The National Armaments Directors of the Visegrád Four (V4) countries recently held a consultation in Budapest. The main topic of the 21–22 February meeting was the strengthening and deepening of cooperation in order to guarantee the security of the region and Europe.
The security situation in and around Europe has undergone significant transformation, which resulted in increased security uncertainties. In order to advance the V4 security agenda, Europe needs to spend more on defence than previously. In view of this, regional cooperation among the Visegrád countries has become even more significant. The Visegrád countries are among the safest countries in Europe, and all of us are interested in enhancing security and the effectiveness of counter-terrorism. To be able do so, cooperation must be intensified and the security issues of the continent must be addressed together: on 21–22 February, the National Armaments Directors of the Visegrád Group conducted their Budapest meeting in this spirit.
During the two-day meeting, the National Armaments Directors reviewed the priorities of the Hungarian V4 presidency and reasserted the importance of regional cooperation, together with their conviction that deepening cooperation in Central Europe brings benefits for the Visegrád countries as well as for Europe.
The introduction of modern technologies requires new types of skills. The V4 Group is committed to answer this challenge by recognizing the possibility of organizing university training/curriculums together. Through the collaboration of universities in the region, a competitive knowledge base can be created, which can serve as the long-term basis of our success. Joint research and development (R&D) programs can be launched, which would be difficult to finance by a single country.
Generating joint military capabilities and harmonizing V4 capability development programs are part of the longer-term goals. At the same time, more effective cooperation and better interoperability can be fostered through more intensive joint efforts in the armaments area in the future.
(Ministry of Defence/MTI)
